


Pots of Acid and Angry Time Ladies

by DarkSeraphim



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 00:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/843248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSeraphim/pseuds/DarkSeraphim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith work themselves out of a trap set by the Rani.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pots of Acid and Angry Time Ladies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merryghoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/gifts).



“Doctor?”

 

“Hm?  Yes?  What is it?”

 

“Don’t you think we should be doing…something?”

“Oh?  Like what?”

 

Sarah Jane Smith, Journalist and Companion, resisted the urge to hang her head in despair.  Or rather, she would try to hang her head, but she was already achieving the desired effect.  Being hung upside down from a rather high point was effective in that regard.  “Oh, I don’t know.  Perhaps something along the lines of getting us down from this thing!?” 

 

“Ah, yes, of course…” The Doctor trailed off, looking upwards, where his feet were firmly tied to the same apparatus as Sarah Jane’s.  “I do believe I see the problem now.”

 

“Oh isn’t that just lovely.” Sarah Jane muttered, already working to untie her hands.  It was quite a challenge.  The Rani had been thorough in making sure the two of them were incapacitated while she completed her plans.  Though really, something like this seemed more up the Master’s alley.  The Rani just seemed too…logical, to tie them upside down above a vat of boiling acid.  It was so terrible cliché. 

 

“Not to worry my dear Sarah Jane!  This is nothing.  We’ll get out of this yet!” The Doctor gathered up his long scarf, the ends just dangling above the acid.  “Wouldn’t want this to dissolve of dear me no.’

 

“Doctor!  This isn’t a game!  We’re about to be dropped into ACID!”

 

“Now Sarah Jane, this isn’t a time to panic.  We’re not going to fall into this acid.  Why, my plan is already coming together!  After all, she didn’t remember to tie my hands!  Amateur work that is.  Why if the Master had been behind this, he would never have forgotten. Simply sloppy.”

 

Sarah Jane sighed, the rope tying her hands finally loosening to the point where she could free herself.  She let the material fall into the acid and brought her hands around, rubbing at her wrists.  “But what do we DO, Doctor?  She took your sonic screwdriver!  If we don’t stop her, she’s going to destroy this place!”

 

“Oh nonsense, she’s not going to destroy it.  Oh no it’s far too valuable for that.  She simply plans to steal all of the ore so that she has enough fuel for her latest experiments.  That will bankrupt the nearby town as they will be unable to sell the ore and will slowly starve to death as this plant is shut down and-“

 

“I get the point, Doctor!”

“Sarah Jane, there is no need to shout.  I have a solution.” The Doctor grinned at her through his curly mop of hair.  He then swung himself up, grabbing at his legs and pulling himself upwards.  He climbed until he reached the scaffold where they were secured, sitting and calmly taking care of his bonds.  When he was free, he helped Sarah Jane up to the perch, undoing her bonds in turn.  “There we are!  Simple!  Now all we have to do is stop The Rani.” He said with his trademark toothy grin.

 

The two carefully started to climb over the scaffold and towards the nearby catwalk.  Sarah Jane did her best to not look down into the massive pit of acid.  When they were halfway across their perch suddenly moved, causing them to grab a hold before they fell to their deaths.

 

“Doctor!” Sarah Jane screamed, grabbing onto his coat as she suddenly jerked to the side.  He turned, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her closer to him.  He acted quickly, tying his scarf around her waist and the other end to the scaffold.

 

“Hold on!” He held her close, one arm around her waist and the other holding onto their only support.  He leaned down, muttering in her ear.  “I’ve got you, my dear, not to worry.  I won’t let you fall.”

 

“How sickening.  I’d say sweet, but really, it’s not.”

 

Both looked over at the catwalk.  Standing by the controls for their perch was the Rani, glaring at the two of them.  In her hands she held a remote, with it she was able to control the alien technology of the planet.  It was a handy little thing, though she used it for nefarious purposes.  “You two couldn’t just have fallen into the acid, could you?” She smirked.  “We can easily fix that.” She pressed a button and the scaffold moved.

 

The Doctor gripped Sarah Jane tighter to steady her, almost losing his own grip.  “Doctor!” Sarah Jane grabbed for him, glaring over at the Rani.  “You horrible witch!”

 

“Careful human.  One press of a button and you’ll both drop.”

 

The Doctor glared at the Rani, carefully standing.  “It is not a wise idea to threaten her, Rani.”

 

The Rani smirked.  “And what will you do, Doctor?  You’re at MY mercy.”

 

“But you are here, and not back at your TARDIS loading the ore.  Now why is that?”

 

The Rani glared and the Doctor smirked.  “Ah, I see now.  It would seem my plan is coming to fruition.”  
  
”What plan!?” The Rani screeched.  “I’ve had you here!  And you’ve been running around this bloody planet since you arrived!”

 

The Doctor smiled and gestured to Sarah Jane.  “Maybe, but you forget I have with me a very credible journalist, and they are quite adamant about collecting information.  She’s the one who first figured out what your plans are, the beginning stages that is.  I had a hunch that something bigger was going on, so I made sure to inform a few friends of mine to look out for nefarious individuals and to keep an eye on their ore.  I would gather that a sizable group of the planet’s populace managed to find your little operation?”

 

The Rani glared at the two of them, snarling at Sarah Jane’s smug look.  “You think you’re so clever?  Let’s see how clever you are when you’re boiling in-AH!”

 

The Time Lady shrieked as a gray, furry mass leapt from nowhere, snatching the remote from her hand and taking off with it.  Sarah Jane barely got a look at it, but she was fairly certain it resembled a gray house cat…how very odd.  But the distraction allowed the Doctor to leap onto the scaffold, pushing the Rani away from the control panel and after a brief wrestling match, take back his screwdriver.  He pointed it at the panel, and it whirred to life, bringing Sarah Jane safely to the catwalk as the Rani ran off.

 

The Doctor helped Sarah Jane onto the catwalk, untying the scarf that held her to the scaffold.  He embraced her tightly, bringing her safely away from the acid.  “Are you alright, my dear?  I do apologize for the scare.”

 

Sarah Jane sank into the embrace, sighing in relief at the familiar presence of safety.  “I’m just fine, Doctor.  Though, next time, I’d rather not be tied above a vat of acid.  It’s rather cliché, you know.  It’s a good stroke of luck that the creature just appeared like that though.”

 

“Indeed.  How very strange.  Ah well, perhaps the universe decided to hand us this small favor.  Either way, we still have a bit of work to do.  I gather the Rani isn’t quite done here yet.”

 

Sarah Jane smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.  “Lead the way, my Doctor.”


End file.
